Patent GB-190306546-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to Electrically-operated Railway Switches and Signals.
Inventor: NEELEMANS ALFRED
Filed: 1903-03-20
Granted: 1903-07-30
Abstract: 6546. Neelemans, A. March 20. Semaphore &c. signals; indicators and repeaters, point or switch and signal; controlling signals.-Relates to arrangements in connection with electrically - operated switches and signals. A pole - changing electric switch is provided for controlling the motor circuits and also the indication circuits, which switch is normally operated by the movement of the railway switch, but, in case of obstruction &c., can be operated from the cabin by movement of the hand-switch. This pole-changing switch consists of four pairs of contacts 20, 21, ... 27, the members of which can be connected together by sliding contact-pieces 17, 18 carried by an insulating-block 19 attached to the cores 31 of two pairs of solenoids 32, 33. The block 19 is also connected through rods 15, 16 to a three-armed lever 6, to which movement is imparted from the lock rod or bar 8 connected to the rail switch. The lock-rod 8 is provided with pins for moving a bar 5 through a lever 9 ; the bar 5 carries a pin 13 for acting on the inclined faces of a cam 7 to move a bar 3 which is in line with the lockbolt 4. The first movement of the switch mechanism withdraws the locking-bolt 4 from a hole in the locking- bar 8, and the final movement returns the lock-bolt and moves the rod 3, thus changing the switch by moving the contact-pieces 17, 18. The switch is operated by the mechanism shown, which is set in motion by an electric motor 36, Fig. 5. Current is supplied to the motor from a battery 60, the circuits being arranged as shown in Fig. 5, and controlled by a circuitcontroller consisting of the brushes 48, 49 and contacts 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 and forming part of the controlling- machine in the cabin. To reverse the position of the rail switch, the brushes are moved to the right to press against the contacts 51, 52, 54, 55. A current then passes through the motor 36, and the switch rails are moved, the final movement reversing the pole-changing switch and moving the contact-pieces 17,18 over to the contacts 22, 23 and 26, 27. This movement breaks the motor circuit and establishes a generator circuit including the indication magnet 75, which becomes energized and releases the locking of the controlling-lever, thus permitting it to make its final movement as described in Specification No. 8020, A.D. 1902. The current flows from the generator 36 through the wire 68, contacts 26,27, wires 77, 72, field-magnet 73, wires 74, 79, magnet 75, and wires 80, 81, &c. back to the generator. If it is desired from any cause, such as an obstruction &c., to put the switch back to normal, the controller is put back to normal, which causes the battery current to pass through wires 82, 86 and contacts 47, 43, 46 to one pair of solenoids 33 which act on the cores and move the contact-pieces 17, 18, thus closing the battery circuit in the reverse direction through the motor 36 and putting the rail switch back into the normal position. A reversal in the opposite direction is effected through wire 65, contacts 44, 42, 45, and the solenoids 32. The two pairs of contacts 44, 45 and 46, 47 rest on divided metal cylinders carried on the rotary shaft 37. To guard against the bad effects of crossed wires and an open common wire &c., and to enable crossed wires to be located, the circuits for electrically. operated switches and signals are arranged, as shown in Fig. 6, with a wire 35<1> which is common to all operating and indication circuits, a wire 38<1>, 43<1>, 44<1> common to all operating-circuits, and a wire 49<1>, 56', 57<1> common to all indication circuits, a double-pole magnetic cut-out 39', 40', 41<1>, 42<1>, 51<1> being provided for breaking both the operating and indication circuits. A signal-operating mechanism A and two switch-operating mechanisms B, C are shown in the arrangement. One wire leads from the interlocking-machine to the signal motor, and two wires to each switch motor. The magnetic cut-out is controlled by means of polarized relays, the tongues 54<a>, 54<b>, 54<c> of which are in circuit with the electromagnet 51<1> of the cut-out, while the coils 47<a>, 47<b>, 47<c> of the relays are in the indication circuits. When the signal motor is placed in the battery circuit, the armature is rotated in a direction which lifts a counterweight, the falling of which, when the motor is out of the circuit, rotates the armature and generates a current which flows through the common wire 35<1>, wire 49', switch arm 40<1>, wires 56<1>, 57<1>, 48<a>, relay coils 47<a>, and in. dication magnet 29<a> back to the motor. When the switch B is to be moved, current flows from the battery through the wire 15<b>, the pole-changing switch, the motor, and the common wire back to the battery. The motor afterwards acts as a generator and sends a current through the common wire 35<1>, wire 49<1>, switch arm 40<1>, relay coils 47<b>, and indication magnet 29<b>. The relay tongues are held against their stops by the permanent magnets and by currents through the coils in the direction of the indication currents, and the magnet 51<1> of the magnetic cut-out is kept energized. But, should currents in the opposite direction flow through the coils on account of crossed wires, such as are shown in dotted lines, or the grounding of two wires, &c., then the relay tongues are moved, the circuit of the magnetic cut-out is broken, and the switch tongues 39<1>, 40<1> are retracted by a spring, thus breaking both the operating and indication circuits of the system and so preventing the wrong parts from being operated. The breaking of the common wire 35<1> may also cause the opening of the relays with similar results, although, in some cases, the return current may divide and return along the several wires of the different motors, thus enabling the system to be worked.